SEATTLE, WASH. – The
ninth-ranked Duke men’s tennis team will open play at the Intercollegiate
Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Indoors Friday, as the tournament is
being hosted by University of Washington at the Nordstrom Tennis Center and the
Seattle Tennis Club Feb. 15-18. The Blue Devils will face No. 8 Oklahoma in the
first round of the draw Friday, Feb. 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

“We are excited to be here in Seattle for the National Team
Indoors,” said head coach Ramsey Smith. “These are 16 of the best teams in the
country and every match is a great opportunity. We have done well in this event
the last few years, and historically we have played really well here in
Seattle. Our guys are ready, and this weekend should be a lot of fun.”

The Blue Devils earned one of the 15 automatic bids to the
tournament, after defeating No. 46 Middle Tennessee State, 7-0, and No. 37
Northwestern, 4-0, in the Durham regional of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Feb. 8-11.
The 2012-13 campaign marks the fifth consecutive year that the team has qualified
for the event, posting a 2-1 record the last two seasons. Last season, the Blue
Devils upset No. 8 UCLA and No. 5 Florida, while falling to three-time reigning
NCAA champion Southern California.

Duke is coming into the weekend with a 9-1 record on the
season, last defeating No. 21 Michigan, 5-2, and North Carolina Central, 7-0,
in a doubleheader Sunday, Feb. 10. The team also picked up a 4-1 victory Friday
over No. 14 Tennessee.

Oklahoma comes into the weekend with a record of 5-1
to open the spring. The
Sooners are led in the polls by Guillermo Alcortaat 65th, whileCostin Paval comes in listed at No. 68 and Dane Webb at No. 119.
Oklahoma has one ranked doubles pair in Paval and Webb at No. 19.The two programs last met
on March 18, 1989 at the Rice Invitational in Houston, Texas, with the Blue Devils
winning the match, 5-1. Duke leads the all-time series against Oklahoma, 2-0.

The winner of Friday’s contest between Oklahoma and
Duke will move on to face the winner of No. 1 Virginia and No. 24 Washington on
Saturday. Live stats and live video will be available for all of this weekend’s
action on http://www.gohuskies.com. For
more information about the 2012 ITA National Team Indoor Championships, visit
the tournament homepage at www.itatennis.com.